Tea is one of the world's (1) ___ popular beverages. According to a legend, it originated in China thousands of years (2) ___, when leaves from a tea bush fell (3) ___ a hot water pot of the Chinese emperor. At first, only wealthy British families (4) ___ able to afford drinking tea, which was brought from India by merchants and traders. Some people even locked it up to prevent it from (5) ___ stolen. There are many ways to drink tea. (6) ___ most people just drink their tea pure, others add milk or a lemon. The most common forms are black and green tea. Vanilla or fruit flavouring (7) ___ often added to tea to give it a special taste. Some people brew their tea in convenient tea bags, others pour boiling (8) ___ over crushed tea leaves. Tea drinking has a long tradition in Britain. Every Briton (9) ___ about 5 cups of tea per day, or about 1,700 cups a year – the largest per capita consumption in the (10) ___. Traditional afternoon teatime goes (11) ___ to the 19th century. Many families celebrate this custom in an exclusive way, with expensive china and silver spoons. Tea has a stimulating effect (12) ___ your body, because it contains (13) ___ caffeine than coffee. It is great for those who are afraid of putting on too much (14) ___ as it has only 4 calories per cup​

In the given text, there are 14 gaps that need to be filled with appropriate words. Below are the explanations for the answers:

1. most - The phrase "one of the world's" suggests that tea is among the most popular beverages in the world.

2. ago - The phrase "thousands of years" implies that the origin of tea dates back to the distant past.

3. into - The phrase "fell into" suggests that the leaves from a tea bush accidentally dropped into a pot of hot water.

4. were - The sentence refers to a time when tea was only affordable by wealthy British families. Therefore, the appropriate verb to fill the gap is "were."

5. being - The sentence refers to the fact that some people locked tea up to prevent it from being stolen.

6. While - The sentence contrasts the fact that some people drink their tea pure with the fact that others add milk or lemon.

7. is - The sentence mentions that vanilla or fruit flavoring is often added to tea to give it a special taste.

8. water - The sentence mentions two ways of brewing tea: using tea bags or pouring boiling water over crushed tea leaves.

9. drinks - The sentence states that every Briton drinks about 5 cups of tea per day.

10. world - The sentence states that Britain has the largest per capita consumption of tea in the world.

11. back - The sentence mentions that the tradition of afternoon teatime goes back to the 19th century.

12. on - The sentence mentions that tea has a stimulating effect on the body because it contains caffeine.

13. less - The sentence mentions that tea contains less caffeine than coffee.

14. weight - The sentence mentions that tea is a great choice for those who are afraid of putting on too much weight, as it contains only 4 calories per cup.